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OFFICE EQUIPMENT: DESIGN, INDOOR AIR EMISSIONS, AND POLLUTION PREVENTION OPPORTUNITIES
Citation:
Hetes, R., M. Moore, AND C. Northeim. OFFICE EQUIPMENT: DESIGN, INDOOR AIR EMISSIONS, AND POLLUTION PREVENTION OPPORTUNITIES. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/R-95/045 (NTIS PB95-191375), 1995.
Impact/Purpose:
information
Description:
The report summarizes available information on office equipment design; indoor air emissions of organics, ozone, and particulates from office equipment; and pollution prevention approaches for reducing these emissions. Since much of the existing emissions data from office equipment are proprietary and not available in the general literature, they are not included in this report. The report covers (1) dry and wet process photoimaging machines (copiers, printers, and faxes); (2) spirit duplicators; (3) mimeograph machines; (4) digital duplicators; (5) diazo (blueprint) machines; (6) computers and computer terminals; (7) impact matric printers; and (8) other equipment types. Office equipment emits indoor air pollutants as a result of equipment operation, offgassing from components, or episodic releases related to catastrophic failure of a unit. For equipment that does not use supplies (e.g., video display terminals), emissions are primarily from offgassing of residual organics. Increased levels of ozone, total volatile organics, and particulates have been observed in the presence of operating equipment and have been associated with complaints from exposed workers. Dry-process photoimaging machines have been identified as a high priority for researching pollution prevention efforts. Wet-process photocopiers have been shown to be a major contributor of volatile organics.